Boston the perfect starting point for Heat's Big Three

Not after Dwyane Wade's season ended there last season, followed by a vow that he would not be eliminated in the first round again anytime soon.

Not after LeBron James crashed and burned on the TD Garden parquet two weeks later in what proved to be his final moments with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Not amid the reality that fellow Heat newcomer Chris Bosh has lost more games in Boston over his NBA career than any other road venue.

"I think the NBA did an unbelievable job of picking a great first game, with a lot of different storylines involved," Wade said of Tuesday's league opener between a new Big Three trying to push past a Big Three that has landed in the NBA Finals in two of the past three seasons.

No, this is more than one of 82, even if it is the first of 82 for each team.

"This is a special situation," Celtics coach Doc Rivers told reporters over the weekend. "Let's just be honest, everybody is excited about it. Our guys try to downplay it until you walk through the locker room and hear them talking about it. The film is on all day, watching Miami.

"I think everyone is excited. Once LeBron took his talents to South Beach, I think everyone got excited."

If it were just Wade, James and Bosh against the Celtics' Paul Piece, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, it would be one thing. But the storylines run even deeper. There also is the presence of former Heat centers Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal, players who hardly left the Heat on the best of terms.

And while Heat nemesis Kendrick Perkins is out, with the Celtics center recovering from his knee injury in the NBA Finals, there still is the presence of Heat pest Rajon Rondo at point guard for Boston.

"You can't count them ever out of a game, we know that better than anybody," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Their veteran players, and their experience, their defense, they'll always give themselves a chance to win at the end.

"They've played well in the preseason because they have that camaraderie and continuity already. Their system is set. They've only had to incorporate a couple of new players, so they have our full attention and respect."

The game is part of a grueling opening week that also includes Friday's home opener against the Orlando Magic at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"To try to put us in the conversation with Boston and Orlando, we've got to beat those guys in order to be mentioned in the conversation," power forward Udonis Haslem said.

Of course, the Heat have been mentioned in plenty of conversations already, many going beyond the on-court potential of the core of Wade, James and Bosh.

"I think it will be a very hostile environment and us being the most-hated team in the world right now, I think it'll be even more hostile," James said.

But it's time, Bosh said, it's time.

"It's kind of going to be a relief," he said, "just to get to play basketball that counts."

The Celtics enter as the known quantity. The Heat? Not as much, with Wade, James and Bosh on the court together for only the first three-plus minutes of the exhibition opener, before Wade was lost with a strained right hamstring.

That hamstring, Wade said, is now healed. And while the Heat are not fully whole, with forward Mike Miller out until at least January with an injured right thumb, the time is at hand to take measure of what Heat President Pat Riley created this offseason.

James said the Celtics should offer such a measurement.

"That team executes as close to 48 minutes as possible, more than any team in the league," he said. "I rank them up there with the Lakers."

That, of course, is where the Heat want to be ranked at season's end.

"I'm excited," Wade said, "the whole team is excited. We're going to be ready."

And seemingly in the perfect place to start.

"It's not a coincidence we're starting at Boston," Haslem said. "There's a reason for us. It's a good measurement of ourselves."

Ira Winderman can be reached at iwinderman@SunSentinel.com and can be followed at http://twitter.com/iraheatbeat.